Monday, January 22, 2018

Festival celebrations an opportunity for multidimensional learning

Lohri was the twelfth festival celebration that was done at the school this year and we still have three more to follow. We normally get asked why so many festival celebrations and the reasons are plenty:

Festivals help us understand the passage of time and seasons. For example Lohri marks the end of the winter season, it is the end of the small winter days and the beginning of long warm days. Moreover it is a harvest festival. Celebration of multiple harvest festivals over the year helps children understand that different crops need different conditions to grow. It helps to go beyond cold, warm and moderate weather requirements to explore the Geography, culture and traditions of the place if inquired by children.

Festival celebrations help children learn to embrace diversity, inclusion, peace and cultivate tolerance. It shows them how everyone and everything is connected.

They are a trigger for curiosity. Lohri celebration can lead to discussions about how people in different places across the country even across the globe celebrate harvest festivals. It can also lead to discussions about what happens when winter ends how is it important to mankind? Which are the other seasons? How do we know the onset of different seasons? Pushing it to know about the rotation and revolution of earth and so on.... All driven by the children. Imagine the joy of discovering knowledge instead of being dumped upon.

The children can relate to the festive mood in their surrounding, feel connected, contribute and even participate.

They understand the importance and respect the rituals and traditions followed at home as well in the society.

Festivals are our treasure house for moral teachings. The stories behind the festivals celebrated have a very strong message and communicating these messages early on in life leaves an impression of moral conduct in the children.

It is a time to introduce various art, crafts, hands on activities, puppet stories and expand their learning.

Above and beyond all the above reasons, at Peace festival celebrations are a time to polish life skills: wait patiently for our friends, give everyone their turn, be considerate and many more.

So we celebrate all festivals with zealousness year after year as repetition of the festivals retains memory, pushes learning and curiosity to the next level every year. It makes a connect to the rhythm of the society and builds memories.